Complete roofing method and apparatus



Jan. 26, 196.0 c. c. FIGGE COMPLETE ROOFING METHOD AND APPARATUS 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 23, 1956 Jan. 26, 1960 c. c. FIGGE COMPLETE ROOFING METHOD AND APPARATUS 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 23, 1956 uw vm vw wv mm 5M. l ov INVENTolc CAR/POLL C. F/GGE s sheets-sheet s KGO@ . d MM Arry Jan. 26, 1960 c. c. FIGGE COMPLETE RooPTNG METHOD AND APPARATUS Filed April 25, 1956 United States @Patent O COMPLETE ROOFING METHOD AND APPARATUS Carroll C. Figge, Batavia, lll.

Application April 23, 1956, Serial No. 580,060

11 Claims. (Cl. 216-20) This invention relates in general to a roof covering which may be composed of several layers of prepared rooting laid in conventional overlapping relation either with or without a protecting mineral aggregate cover and also to a conventional overlapping rooting with one or more separate protecting layers either with or without a mineral covering, all of which are successively laid in place so that that portion of the roof is completed in one continuous operation in any combination of shingle patterns or separate courses vwithin the capacity of the particular apparatus.

It has been the practice to apply a roof covering by iirst laying a munber of sheets of felt separately in overlapping relation, cernenting the separate sheets to the roof deck and to the other sheets, one sheet of rooting at a time, and thereafter as a separate and distinct operation to apply a top coating of bituminous material in which a mineral aggregate is imbedded and applied as a protecting cover to the exposed edges of the overlapping sheets.

With this construction, a leak between any two layers and those into the bituminous cover might produce a leak in the roof covering. By applying an overlying cover of one ply of rooting material in overlapping relation to the ordinary multi-ply roof covering, or by applying two such separate overlying courses, breaking the joints at different places, a much better roof covering is obtained in which a leakage through the overlapping shingle deck does not extend directly through the cover but must seek an entirely different path to destroy the waterproofing which is provided by the separately laid cover course of courses. p

With this type of roof as produced by the present invention, a protecting cover of a mineral coating may be applied or omitted as desired, and a separate bituminous coating without the mineral aggregate may be applied to the overlying Vcover courses. In any combination, two, three or more lapped shingle courses, together with a single or double cover course and with a protecting cover of mineral coating, the present system and the apparatus therefor will complete a portion of the roof in a single operation so that it is not necessary for the strip by strip separate application of the shingle courses in overlapping relation and then the strip by strip application of any felt cover courses followed by a separate application of bituminous material and mineral aggregate at a later date. In the present invention, all of these operations are completed in succession for a Section of the roof depending upon the desired width of the apparatus.

An important object of the invention is to provide a new and improved method of applying a roof of the laminated shingle type with a separate top coating therefor having a dierent overlapping relation, complete in one operation.

A further object of the invention is in a new and improved method of applying a cover in one or two separate overlying layers to a conventional overlapping shingle type roof complete in one operation with or with- Patented Jan. 26, '1960' out a top cover of bituminous material and mineral aggregate.

A further object of the invention .is to provide an improved method of rooting in which successive plies of rooting material are cemented to a roof deck and to each other in ordinary overlapping relation and a top coating of separate plies of roofing material in a different pattern are cemented over the top of the` overlapping shingles in the same operation, thereby welding the cover to the overlapping plies at the same time so that a por-` tion of the roof is always completed to the extent of' in a different overlying and overlapping pattern than they strips beneath at the same time therewith and sealing all of the strips together in waterproong relation.

Further objects of the invention are to provide means. to make the apparatus in separable sections; to provide. means separate from the roll carrying and adhesive means for moving this rapparatus and for replenishing the adhesive and mineral aggregate materials to an apparatus while it is in motion; for changing the overlapping relations of the strips of rooting material, for applyingV certain strips in overlapping shingle relation, and in` applying other strips in overlapping cover relation; and

in applying a-mineral coating on top of the last cover` material at the same time that the cover material is applied. v v

Other objects of the invention will appear inthe speciication and will be apparent from the accompanyingr drawings, in which,

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of an apparatus for a complete rooting method in accordance with thisinvention;` Fig. 2 is a side elevation with some of the parts section of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a sectional View as taken on the line 3 3v of Fig. 1 showing adhesive liquid replenishing;

Fig. 3a is a sectional view as taken on the line 3ra-3a of Fig. 1 showing the mineral aggregate replenishing;

Fig. 4 is a cross sectional view of three separate courses laid shingle fashion with a mineral aggregate cover;

Fig. 5 is a cross sectional view of a three-ply shingle application with a single rooting material cover and a coating of mineral aggregate;

Fig. 6 is a sectional view of a three-ply shingle rooting with two separate rooting material covers and a coating of mineral aggregate; and Fig. 7 is a side elevation with parts broken away of a single truck having a more compact arrangement of roll rooting material and an aggregate dispenser thereof.

In the conventional roof covering of two or more overlapping strips, a` single leakage path between any two of the strips or layers is suflicient to destroy the waterprootng of the roof insulation. The addition of more layers makes a thicker roong but does not neces- .Y

sarily improve the waterproofing of the roof.

The present invention provides a method' and apparatus to apply anylnumber of plies of built-up rooting in the conventional overlapping shingle fashion, but in addition may apply a protecting cover or any combination of shingle fashion applications together with felt strips laid in separate courses.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, Fig. 4 represents a cross section of three separate zcourses A, B and C laid in conventional shingle succession with narrow overlapping joints between spaced plies A-A,` B-B and C-C of the same respective courses. lTo this coverageis applied'abituminousrcoating Dland a mineral'ag- I gregateE. In applyingthese layers, an adhesive. or abiturninous layer is applied below each of the successive plies Iirmly cementing thernall together upon the roof.

lnfFig. 5i is shown a similary arrangementofa tl1ree.y ply shingle application as shown in Fig. 4 withnthefaddition; offazprotective'cover coatconsisting of asingle layer; of rooiingmaterial F with a narrow overlappingk joint-,between adjacent strips of they sameV cover which. also breaks joints with the exposed edges at the over-l lyingjoint of the layers or shingle courses A, B, C below-it.v

A further improvement is to apply a second cover coat (Fig. 6) consisting of singlelayers G of rootingl material with a: narrow overlapping; joint betweeny them which also breaks joints with those of the similar cover layers E below it and alsorwith the joints ofthe underlying shinglefcoursesso that these joints will not pile up at a singleylocation and thus-cause a ridge or projection ina completed/roof.

Ina roof coveringzof this kind, even though there'rnay beca leakage path between the overlapping shingle layers at the bottom, there is no direct communication path between theseparate cover course or coursesfwbich are in anentirely'different pattern and if two or more cover coursesare employed, ythey will necessitate a further leakage: path` which is entirely different from` that'between a single or two successive overlapping covercourses-of the: same; kind. l

apparatus Ifor carrying` out this method of layingA a plurality of courses in diiferentv patterns and layers is shown'. in Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 3a together with means for supplying coating materials while the apparatus is in ruotiontand without the necessity of stopping vthe-application;of the layersv or plies of rooting during the movement of the apparatus overa roof deck to be covered.

Instead of using a. single conveyor truck for moving thetapparatus upon a roof deck, a plurality of trucks as 10, 12 and 14 are shown, each comprising a supporting frame116and WheelslS, which are adapted to be closely connected and easily coupled together in any suitable manner by means of latches20 in the form of a hook'on each truck to engage. acorresponding catch 22 inl the formof a loop or staple `for engaging the latch. With v this simple means of attachment, the trucks may be easily-connected together and disconnected both for rearranging the trucks as desired and 'for facilitating the raisingrand lowering of theA individual trucks to the level of therroof. deck which' is extremely diiiicult if the entire apparatus were mounted upon one truck.

Inoue ofthe trucks as 10 are a plurality of cross shafts 24 for mounting rolls of rooting materialv 26 thereon, the truck being wider than the'length of the roll so that the-'roll may be shifted lengthwi'se'of its mounting shaft and held in anyadjusted longitudinal position bymeans ofcollars 28 at the ends of the rolls having fastening screws 30 for variable attaching the collars and the rolls upon the shaft. The rolls are adjustable upon the shafts so that the rooting strips therefrom mayV be `laid in the' desired pattern. In general, if a three-ply conventional roofing is tol be applied, each ply overlaps the preceding one approximately two-thirds of the length of the roofing roll, which is normally 36"' in width, except for a couple of inches to take care of the end overlap betweenl adjacent plies.

-In advance of.` each roll of rooting is an adhesive container 32 which preferably extends entirely across the truck frame and hasv a plurality of separately operated valves 34 at the bottom so that the path of theadhesive may be as wide as the roofing, morevor lessthan this widthV and at any location transversely of the frame. Following the` adhesive applier is a spreader comprisingsupports. 36. having fingers 38 in the path of the adhesive which applies the adhesive-evenlyfor engagement by a roofing strip from the roll 26 to which the adhesive applies Following the application of the rooting strip is an applicator which may be in the -form of a brush 40 having a stem 42 extending into a longitudinal casing 44 with a coil spring 46 in the casing surrounding the stern and bearing against a collar 4S near the brush and tending to keep the brush closely applied to its strip of rooting.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the first truck 10 has three separate rolls and means for applying adhesive below the roofing strip from the roll and the applicators therefor. These rolls are set at about two-thirds overlapping relation so that they will apply three courses in conventional shingle fashion to a roof.

The next truck '12'Y may be similarly equipped with means for mounting rolls 26 of rooting material on shafts 24 for adjusting them transversely of the frame or the rolls may be mounted to add another course or courses to those of the first truck-1i). The rolls may also be adjusted to apply a single cover sheet as F in Fig. 5 which overlaps a corresponding sheet in a portion of the roofing previously laid, and it may also be adjusted to apply ltwo cover sheets as'F and G over the shingle fashion strips-which are applied by a truck section 10. Each of these coatings F and G have narrow overlapping joints which break joints with each other and also with the shingle 'fashion plies below them.

Truck 14 may include one or more transversely adjustable rolls 26 together with the adhesive container 32, the spreader and the pressure applicator and also may be provided with an aggregate dispenser container 50 which extends transversely of the truck and has a num ber of manually controlled valves 52 at the bottom for dispensing mineral (or other) aggregate 54 throughout the entire width of the frame or any portion thereof as controlled by the valves 52. An adhesive container 56 is `also mounted transversely of the truck 14 in advance ofthe direction of movement of the aggregate container 50, for bituminous or other-adhesive material and if desired, spreader fingers 58 may also be mounted following the container 56 to cause the desired distribution-of the adhesive -for the aggregate.

Each of the trucks `10 and 12 is provided with a common hopper 60 preferably at one side thereof and over-V lying the adhesive containers 32 which communicates with each of the containers through separate valves 62 so that each container may be separately fed and controlled;

On the truck 14 is a hopper 64 at one side thereof for adhesive and a' hopper 66 at the same side for receiving' mineral aggregate which is then discharged into the aggregate dispensing container 50.

By locating these hoppers 60, 64 and 66 at one side of the frame, they may be serviced from a wheeled auxiliary supply truck 68 movable close to the trucks 10,

12 and' 14 and having a tank 70 for containing liquid bituminous matter discharged through a valve 72 which extends over the adhesive hoppers 60 and 64 when the supply truckv is moved adjacent the other trucks without stopping theoperating trucks 10, 12 and 14. Another portion ofthe same supply'truck (or an additional truck) may be equipped with a hopper 74 for containing mineral or other aggregate which is discharged therefrom by gravityor otherwise through a spout 76 having a hinged closing gate 78.

When the trucks 10, 12 and 14 are linked together for continuous roof completing operation, it may require considerable power to propel the trucks and a separate power truckinot shown), may be provided or a power drive truck 80 may'be included with the supplytruck 68 in any suitable manner for pulling them. A driving projection.82 may extend from the side of at least the foremost truck 10 for engagement with the ,powerrorrsupply truck with a chain. connection 84 extending4 from the.

rearof' the power supply truck ,tot one or more, ofthe.

other sectional trucks 12 or 14. This power truck may thus be a part of the auxiliary supply truck 68, but for continuous operation, the auxiliary supply truck is intended to move back and forth across the roof deck to pick up additional supplies of adhesive and aggregate which may be deposited in the tanks for receiving these materials without stopping the roof laying movement of the operating trucks by means of the power truck.

To make a more compact roof iinishing machine, rolls 86 'of roofing material may be mounted in a single frame 88 at various elevations and staggered with respect to each other as shown in Fig. 7 with an aggregate dispenser 90 at one end of the frame. Between the strips 92 of roong material as guided by rollers 94 are adhesive dispensing containers 96 having a common header 98 for supplying adhesive thereto. The containers have separate valves 100 for controlling the discharge of adhesive therefrom and the aggregate dispenser is also commonly provided with valves 102 for controlling the discharge of this material.

Spreaders 104 but no pressers are shown in this form similar to those shown in Fig. 2, but they may also be supplied if desired. More or less rolls 86 may be mounted in this manner in the frame and the rolls may be adjusted longitudinally to overlap in any desired manner as in the form shown in Fig. 1.

With this apparatus thus shown and described, it is possible to obtain any desired variation of the layers of roofing material either in successive overlapping strips or in the combination of conventional shinge overlapping so that the newly laid roof portions are not damagedy v by the passage 'of vehicles or this apparatus thereover.

` omitting one or more of them when a more simple pattern is desired. If a single compact truck apparatus as shown in Fig. 7 is used, the rolls and the adhesive aggregate supplies may be omitted while the frame is being raised to the roof deck which will accordingly reduce the Weight for raising the apparatus.

While this method and suitable apparatus therefor have been described in some detail, it should be regarded by' way of illustration and example rather than as a restriction or limitation thereof, as many changes in the construction, combination and arrangement of the parts may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

I claim:

' 1. A roof laying apparatus for applying a complete multiply overlapping rooting in one simultaneous operation comprising a plurality of supports for rolls of sheet roofingv material, means for moving the apparatus with a separate layer or layers of cover strips providing an additional seal for the shingle type of overlapping strips. A portion of the roof covering is thus completed in one operation so that it is not necessary to apply the strips separately, to seal them with other strips, and to then apply the aggregate in a separate operation at a different or later time. The rooting operation is complete for that portion of the roof within the limits of the apparatus itself, and completing the entire roof is effected by the apparatus passing over each portion thereof one time only. This results in much speedier application of a roof in `which the layers for that portion covered by the apparatus are firmly welded together and still while all of the layers are in the same condition as to heat, moisture and dryness not only of the roof, but also of all of the strips and other ingredients which make up the roof.

Thus it is possible to lay all forms of built-up roofing from one ply at a time to any number of plies in any combination within the capacity of the apparatus. In a finished rooting, the plies may be laid shingle fashion; the surface may be smooth with only a bituminous coating; a smooth surface may be provided with a prepared cap; one or more separate cover courses may be applied; a combination of plies may be laid shingle fashion, and separate protecting courses may be laid with overlapping edges in joints broken relatively to those of the courses below; the separate protecting courses may be applied with only a bituminous coating or a mineral surfacing may be applied to the outermost coating; and all of the above variations are completed by the apparatus in one continuous operation.

This method of application of the cover courses provides an improved waterproong insulation by sealing the lower plies and locking the joint of the edge aps in one continuous operation; the felt layers and edges do not lay exposed to infiltration of water and vapor because of the breaking joint application of the cover layers which cause progressive deterioration of the fabric. Additional adhesive and aggregate supply tanks and trucks may be used in large area roof installations to keep the apparatus hoppers filled with these materials without lengthy stops or rest periods to replenish them. The supply vehicles and also this roof laying apparatus always run on the uncovered portion of the roof deck over a surface of the roof to be covered, means for applying a coating of adhesive below each strip of roofing material discharged from the roll as the apparatus moves over a roof deck, means for oifsetting successive rolls so that they will be applied in overlapping relation to each other, and means for applying a cover sheet on top of the overlapped sheets below it in a diierent pattern in which the edge of the cover sheet overlaps the preceding cover sheet at a different position than the exposed edges of thel overlapping sheets below it.

2. In a roof laying apparatus in accordance with claim l, means for applying an adhesive below each strip of roofing material as it is applied to a roof and a common receptacle for all of the separate means for each roll at one side of the apparatus, and valve means for controlling the discharge of the adhesive from each of said adhesive applying means.

3. In a roof laying apparatus in accordance with claim 2, in which the common receptacle is at one edge of the apparatus, and means for replenishing the adhesive while the apparatus is in motion comprising a supply vehicle having means to discharge the adhesive into the receptacle while the apparatus and the supply vehicle are in motion.

4. A roof laying apparatus in accordance with claim l in which the means for moving the apparatus over the surface of the roof to be covered comprises a plurality of separable trucks, and means for releasably connecting the trucks closely together for variously connecting them, omitting or adding trucks, and for simultaneously operating them for a predetermined complete roof covering operation.

5. A roof laying apparatus in accordance with claim l, in which some of the rolls of sheet rooting material are mounted at various elevations and staggered in said means for moving the apparatus, reducing the length of said means and making it more compact for carrying an increased number of rolls.

6. A roof laying apparatus in accordance =with claim l, including a mineral aggregate dispensing container also carried by the means for moving the apparatus, having valve means for discharging the mineral aggregate over the surface of the roof to be covered, and means for applying an adhesive cover in advance of the mineral aggregate to rmly imbed the aggregate in the adhesive.

7. A roof laying apparatus in accordance with claim 4, including a mineral aggregate container and means for discharging the aggregate therefrom upon a roof, means for applying an adhesive to the roof in advance of the-aggregate. for. imbeddingf; the aggregate therein andk formingatcover, and means. for. moving the4 apparatus over ther surface. offamo-of comprising separate. trucks vfor containing; theV rolls. of roofing material and the means for applying coatings of adhesive therefor in different.

patterns and one. of the trucks including the mineral aggregate container andthe dispensing means therefor together with the means forv applying, a coating of adhesive.

in advance ofthe layer ofV aggregate.

8. In a rooflaying apparatus in accordance with claim 6', in which the aggregate container is located at one4 edge ofthe apparatus opposite that at which the sheets and coatings are applied, and means for replenishing theV aggregate material in its container While the apparatus is in motion, comprising a supply vehicle having means to discharge the aggregate into itsv receptacle while the apparatus isv in motion.

9. A roof laying apparatus inlaccordance with claim 1, comprising means at one side of the apparatus oppositev teral, meanszforzf adjusting` the rolls -endwise.;fon varying.;-4 the amount; of-v overlap. -of .successive 1ayers-,and,thereby; changing-,the pattern, means for applyinga coating-ofi advhesive below each layer of sheet material as.l the-ap-A f paratus moves over-a roof,l andmeans for simultaneouslyapplying a protective coveringoverthe exposedlsurface.`

of unlapped portions of the layers.

11. A roof laying apparatus comprisingja plurality of.

supports for rolls of sheet roofing material, means for movingtheapparatus ,over a surface of the roof tobe-` covered, means for applying a coating of' adhesive belowl each strip of roofing material discharged from the roll asv4 the apparatus. moves over a roof deck, means for off-.

setting successive rolls so that they will be applied in overlapping relation to each other and in dierent pat-A terns, and means for simultaneously applying aprotective coating. over the exposed surface of unlapped por-- tions ofthe strips.

ReferencesCited in the tile of this patent UNITED` STATES PATENTS 1,324,050 Huckelbery Dec..9, 1919. 1,846,145 Robinson Feb. 23, 1932 2,124,843 Anderton July 26, 1938l 2,197,879 Robinson Apr. 23, 1940 2,241,863 Lett May 13,1941 2,280,579 Hardy t Apr. 21, 1942v 

